Europe Trip: Prague – Day Two

Our second day in Prague was just as beautiful as the first and just as busy! We were out on the streets just after eight in the morning and they were eerily quiet. We saw a few groups of joggers and a scattering of locals heading to work but I have never seen the streets as empty as they were that morning. We immediately made for Charles Bridge, a place we usually avoid because of its crowds, and enjoyed taking many touristy photos that will no doubt look exactly the same as all the photos we’ve taken from the bridge on previous visits. As if that would stop us!

From there, we continued on into the Old Town. After circling the streets around Old Town Square for the better part of an hour, we settled down on one of the benches around the Jan Hus monument. Since I last visited, they’ve planted flowers all around the monument which is very pretty and means sketchy youths can no longer climb onto it and sprawl themselves across it. A definite improvement. We enjoyed watching all the bridal parties make their way to the Old Town Hall. There were ceremonies every half hour and outside you always had one or two brides waiting for her turn while more were wandering about the square with their grooms and photographers. It was such a happy way to start the morning!

After strolling past the Estates Theatre, by a delightful fruit market, and swinging by Wenceslas Square for form’s sake, we made our way to the cafe at the beautiful art nouveau Obecní dům (Municipal House). Like the rest of the city, it was empty. This was wonderful for taking photographs and for enjoying a quiet cup of tea but quite upsetting when you think how it must be impacting the economy.

After our refreshment break, we slowly made our way back across the river for lunch. I understand why people make fun of Czech cuisine. Really, I do. If you go based on what most restaurants offer, you’d be wondering how there are any pigs left alive in the country and why everyone hasn’t died of malnutrition from lack of vegetables. Pork and potatoes everywhere, all the time, is what I hear from other tourists. But these people aren’t looking close enough. No. They are missing the best thing on any Czech menu: fried cheese with tartar sauce and boiled potatoes. I don’t understand why I can’t find this genius dish in any other country but I do love having it at least once every time I’m back. I don’t generally like fried foods (I can work up no enthusiasm for the equally common fried cauliflower) but a lunch of breaded, fried edam with a vegetable soup (Czechs love soups) to start? Brilliant.

After our long morning and hearty, traditional lunches, we paused briefly at the hotel to freshen up before heading out once again, in search of…well, we weren’t quite sure. My mother had something in mind, but that turned out to be closed, so we instead found ourselves visiting the gardens below Prague castle, which we had been planning to visit the next day. These are a series of terraced gardens built into the hill beneath Prague castle and they offered just the kind of green oasis we needed after a morning in the vegetation-starved Old Town.

My mother hadn’t visited these gardens since 1968, just before she left, so it was fun for me to get to experience them with her almost anew. And you know how I love gardens of any kind!

After exploring the gardens (and, clearly, photographing them to our hearts’ content), we retired to the cafe below. In a well-shaded courtyard, with classical music from the neighbouring music school drifting out through the open windows, I enjoyed a delicious concoction of fresh mint, lime, and ice water while my mother loyally enjoyed a local beer. Then we placed a phone call to my brother in Vancouver and smuggly updated him on our perfect vacation, just as he was waking up and preparing himself to face another long day at the office. This reminder of the daily grind faced by those so unfortunate as to not be on holiday just made our day that much sweeter.

There were no holidays while we were visiting and, generally, It was the tourists we were noticing the absence of, not the locals. A result of the recession, I suppose, particularly since the most glaring absences were the lack of American tourists and British stag parties.

Adding my thanks for the lovely photos and descriptions. I didn’t realize before I moved to Texas how many Czech immigrants ended up here, and I’ve learned a lot about their history here – but not enough about where they came from. Prague has been on my “someday” list from a long time now.

I’ve heard there are a lot of people with Czech backgrounds in Texas. I think the biggest waves of immigration were quite early there, were they not? 19th century? What a change from Bohemia and Moravia!

After showing the kids the Day 1 photos, my 3rd dd said, “Oh mommy, let’s go to Prague!” They are forever planning their dream European vacation — you are giving them ideas that have never previously crossed their minds. 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing with us — truly, it makes the map “come alive.”

I remember eating A LOT of pork while in the Czech Republic (even at McDonald’s… I know, I know, but it was cheap and close to the place we were getting our clothes washed… so I had a “McCountry”, which was some kind of pork sandwich…)… I really like pork, but you’re right that some green veggies every now and then would have been appreciated!